Thinking About Retirement?
I'm not sure if I'm thinking about retirement (from the online world) or not.
Last week's article from Isabel Frank William got me thinking about my Internet Marketing (online) business.
Although moving to Norwich has been hard work in terms of stress, and physically far harder than sitting tapping away at my blog and in Facebook groups, now I have done the bulk of the hard work of moving, I feel rather lazy about my online business.
I guess it could just be that I'm exhausted by the move, or by the unusually hot weather we've been enjoying in the UK in June and July, or it could be more. I'm just not sure.
Do I care about GDPR and https and repeated Facebook algorithm changes etc ad nauseam?
Well, I know I should care, and once upon a time I DID. But is it worth the hassle to fight yet more hurdles “the powers that be” have thrown in my way? Jump one hurdle and “they” just come up with another.
An Aside On GDPR
Well, OK, GDPR has been great at one level because loads of long forgotten companies have emailed me saying could they send me marketing emails – and almost without exception I've said “No, go away and stay away”. My inbox is (mostly) leaner and cleaner.
Mostly, because GDPR has done NOTHING to stem the tide of spam emails and solicitations that unethical marketers will probably send out until the end of time. I'm much more likely to hit the “Junk” button than I was even a few months ago. They shouldn't be mailing me.
I cut all my own mailings, just cancelled the lot. wholesale, for fear of breaching some rule.
But the big boys just go on mailing, apparently unchecked – with or without valid unsubscribe links. I could rant on… but you've probably experienced the same.
Back to “thinking about retirement”…..
The Why Of Internet Marketing
I once felt I “did” Internet Marketing and blogging to keep my brain active, but for the few weeks of my move when I barely had any Internet connection, I wasn't been bored by any stretch of the imagination.
There's plenty to do here in Norwich (see just one of my pictures here of a superb day at The Royal Norfolk Show) and on the days when my diary has no entertainment options, I can happily sit in my Reading Room shown above (a real luxury for me).
Yes, I KNOW I'm extremely lucky and most people aren't anywhere near as lucky. But my offline success that has paid for these comforts came at enormous personal expense (it probably broke up my marriage!), working 7 days a week and most days double figure hours in the day.
The fruits of my labor didn't just drop into my lap, and in the weeks leading up to my move, my offline businesses saw one of the busiest periods I've ever known, which was part of the reason for more or less dropping out of the online world.
And without online marketing expenses, my bank balance grew rather than shrunk! Thanks to my offline businesses.
Do I Need An Online Business?
Yes, I'm beginning to wonder whether I need an online business at all.
In my new house and location I have every physical comfort I want, and I hope to be spending more time with my son and his wife, now we live closer together.
What more could I want? Fast cars and luxurious holidays don't hold any appeal. I'm at the age when “time” and family are more important than anything else.
My offline business still provides enough income for my current needs and it's far easier than all this Internet Marketing lark. My offline customers still provide a reason to get up each day and an ample supply of adrenaline. The results and thanks I get offline are far more gratifying than the results of the hours I have spent online.
So I am pondering my future online.
